Getting Active This Spring? Tips from an Athletic Trainer to Help Prevent Injury

As warmer weather returns, many of us start moving more — whether that means spring sports, outdoor workouts, yard work, or simply spending more time outside. If you've been less active over the winter months, it's important to ease yourself back into activity and pay attention to how your body responds. Taking a few simple precautions can help you stay healthy, avoid injury, and enjoy the season ahead. Keep these tips in mind as you get back into your spring activities.

Equipment: Be sure to have properly fitting safety gear to protect body parts, including helmets, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads, and proper shoes (well-worn shoes are notorious for causing overuse injuries).

Timing: Always start slow and gradually increase the intensity and demand of a training program to avoid overuse injuries. Listen to your body and take breaks.

Warm up & Stretch: Warm up with a low-level activity like jogging or jumping jacks before you stretch. Warmups raise muscle temperatures, which prepare the whole body for physical activity, and thus reduces the risk of injury. Warm up for a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes so the body can prepare for an activity.

Clothing: It's important to dress in layers. Start a workout with long layers to warm the body and get it ready for activity, just as a proper warm up and stretch prepare the body. Clothing can be removed as your body warms up. Warmer clothing is also helpful for keeping the muscles warm throughout your work out.

Technique: Learn the correct technique that is associated with a sport or activity to lessen the risk of sports-related injuries to tendons, bones, and muscles. If you are unsure of what techniques you're supposed to use, talk with a professional to help you.

Hydrate: As temperatures rise, it's important to drink plenty of water. It's recommended that the average adult male drink 15 cups of water and the average adult female drink 11cups. If you have intense workouts or activity, you should increase the water intake appropriately (you can use your thirst to judge). Water is the best beverage to drink. Avoid beverages that are filled with sugar; they cause the body to lose more fluid than when drinking water.

Cool Down: A cool down and light stretching after workouts is helpful in loosening up those muscles while they're warm and limber from training. Sport-specific muscles that haven't been used in a while will likely be a bit sore.

Be Smart: It may be difficult, but do not continue to participate in sports or activities if you have sustained an injury. It is not safe to "play through the pain" and could result in a more severe injury or a chronic problem. Allow the injury time to heal before you return. Remember the RICE method when you have an injury: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

Give yourself at least 1 or 2 days each week to take a break from your sport or activity and give your muscles a chance to repair themselves.

Get Checked: If you end up getting injured in the process of being active, it's important to listen to your body and get seen, especially if your injury inhibits your daily activities or you have been in pain for a long period of time.